Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A DETOUR
KOLOMENSKOE MUSEUM-RESERVE (МУЗЕЙ-ЗАПОВЕДНИК
КОЛОМЕНСКОЕ)
It only takes a couple of metro stops to get to Moscow's internal countryside. Set
amid 4 sq km of picturesque parkland, on a bluff above a bend in the Moscow River,
Kashirskaya)
is an ancient royal country seat and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Shortly
after its founding in the 14th century, the village became a favourite destination for the
princes of Moscow. The royal estate is now an eclectic mix of churches and gates, as
well as other buildings that were added to the complex over the years.
Churches & Gates
From Bolshaya ul, enter the grounds of the museum-reserve through the 17th-century
Sav
Saviiour G
ur Gate to the star-spangled Our L
ur Lady o
dy of K
f Kazan Ch
n Chuurcch. Ahead, the white-
washed, tent-roofed 17th-century Front G
t Gate - guarded by two stone lions - was the
main entrance to the royal palace.
Ascension Church
Outside the front gate, overlooking the river, rises Kolomenskoe's loveliest structure,
menskoye)
, sometimes called the 'white column'. Built between 1530 and 1532 for Grand
Prince Vasily III, it probably celebrated the birth of his heir, Ivan the Terrible. It was a
revolutionary structure at the time, which experts attribute to Italian masters.
Wooden Buildings
Among the old wooden buildings on the grounds is the caabiin where Peter the Great
lived while supervising ship- and fort-building at Arkhangelsk. The cabin is surrounded
by a re-creation of the tsar's orchards and gardens. There are also a few handsome
structures that were brought here from other regions, specifically the Bratsk f
sk fortress
tower and the gate--tower o
r of St Nich
f St Nichola
olas Mo
s Monastery from Karelia.
Great Wooden Palace
In the mid-17th century, Tsar Alexey built a palace so fabulous it was dubbed 'the
eighth wonder of the world'. This whimsical building was famous for its mishmash of
tent-roofed towers and onion-shaped eaves, all crafted from wood and structured
without a single nail. Unfortunately, this legendary building had fallen into disrepair
and was demolished in 1768 by Catherine the Great.
